Information for New Investigators

Information for New Investigators

NIH and NIAID want to fund more new scientists and have created special programs and funding approaches to meet that goal. Learn who qualifies, how being new helps you, how to identify yourself, where to get advice, and how to plan your research career.

Who Qualifies for New and Early-Stage Investigator Status

New investigator. NIH considers you new if you have not yet received substantial independent NIH funding.

Early-stage investigator (ESI). A subset of new investigator status, you are an ESI if you qualify as new and you are also within 10 years of either of the following:

Terminal research degree

Medical residency or equivalent

You can request an extension of your ESI status past the 10-year window due to special circumstance such as childbirth, family care responsibilities, medical concerns, disability, extended periods of clinical training, natural disasters, and active duty military service. Read the instructions at the bottom of the NIH Form for Requesting an Extension.

Initial Peer Review

Peer reviewers look more at your potential than achievement—they weigh your academic and research background heavily. Reviewers may expect new R01 investigators to have fewer preliminary data and publications than more established researchers do.

When feasible, new and early-stage investigator applications are not interspersed with those of established investigators at the review meeting.

You get at least one month to revise and resubmit your R01 application for the next review cycle. You receive your summary statement no later than March 10, July 10, or November 10, and instead of following the standard resubmission deadlines, you can resubmit by April 10, August 10, or December 10, respectively.

Special Programs

NIAID and NIH help new and early-stage investigators in the following ways as well.

Selective pay and R56-Bridge awards

New and early-stage investigators who have top-quality R01 applications are strong candidates for these NIAID awards. We use these approaches to fund some applications with percentiles that missed the payline by a small margin.

You cannot apply for either program. Your NIAID program officer must nominate you. Your program officer will let you know if this is likely and, in any case, advise you on your next steps.

For both programs, we choose applications based on high relevance to our mission as well as scientific merit. Read more in the NIAID R56-Bridge Award SOP.

Educational loan repayment programs

NIH helps M.D.s and some other doctoral-level professionals pursue research careers by repaying up to $35,000 a year in qualifying educational debt.

Identify Yourself!

Once you've entered your information in the Commons, check your profile to make sure your new or ESI status appears as expected.

Then if your status isn't correct, contact the eRA Service Desk to request assistance. Include your Commons login ID, name, any application number, and other relevant dates and information.

Get Advice From Mentors and NIH Staff

As you plan your independent research career, you likely already have mentors at your institution and in your field. NIH staff can also help.

Contact an NIH program officer appropriate to your field of research. Our program officers are trained scientists who can advise you on crafting high-priority research ideas, which opportunity type to choose, nuances of the application process, and much more.

Test Your Qualifications

Then consider your organization's expectations, for example, the level of position you must have before your institution will allow you to apply for different types of grants.

Your qualifications lay the foundation for your grant-seeking efforts. Your peer reviewers—your application's audience—must deem you qualified to complete the work you propose.

For an R01, you'll need significant experience, a publication record (first or last author) in respected journals, and a history of overseeing projects in your field.

To further assess your qualifications, we suggest these steps:

Evaluate your training, publications, and presentations at scientific meetings in the field.

Be critical: look at yourself through the eyes of your future reviewers.

Ask colleagues or advisors to make the same assessment of you.

Set Your Goal and Start Applying

Focus on a single research goal you'd like to accomplish during the next 10 years or so. Then divide that goal into objectives that can become projects you could achieve in three to five years, the typical length of a grant award.

Even if you're still a postdoctoral research associate, get started. There's no need to wait until you are in an academic job to begin writing your first application.

Starting now lets you tap the knowledge of mentors who are familiar with your work and in the best position to give you feedback. And the experience of writing an application will increase your chances of future success, even if your first attempt fails.

Getting a head start also helps you avoid running down the start-up support you should negotiate when you get your first academic position.

Be sure to negotiate enough support to tide you over the long application process. After applying, it can take two years to get a grant, even longer if you must start over with a new application.

Don't expect your first application to succeed—most people must resubmit (try again) before they get funded.

More NIAID Information for New Investigators

We offer additional advice and information on other stages of the grant process elsewhere in the Grants & Contracts section of this website. Where appropriate on other webpages, we also include notes that are specific to new investigators.